In the suit Charles “Chuck” Turner has filed against the Boston City Council challenging his expulsion, the parties are being given an opportunity by U.S. District Court Chief Judge Mark L. Wolf to address whether Wolf should abstain from hearing the case.

The parties can also address whether the legal questions raised by the case should be certified to the Supreme Judicial Court for a decision.

The council expelled Turner from office after he was convicted of taking a bribe.

Turner then filed suit, claiming that the council was not empowered by state law to enact its Rule 40, the provision under which he was expelled.

After considering the case, Wolf stated his “present intention” as being either to abstain and stay the case in deference to state proceedings he expects the plaintiffs will initiate, or to certify the potentially dispositive state law questions for decision by the Supreme Judicial Court.

Before deciding how to proceed, however, Wolf is providing the parties a chance to speak to the relevant issues.

He ordered the parties to file memoranda by noon on Jan. 21 addressing “(a) whether or not [the U.S. District Court] either should abstain or certify one or more questions to the Supreme Judicial Court; (b) if abstention or certification is necessary or appropriate, which option the court should choose; and (c) if one or more questions are certified, how the question(s) should be stated.”

The parties have also been ordered “to respond to [the plaintiffs’] motion for preliminary injunction [barring any special election to fill Turner’s seat] in order to permit the court to decide the motion if the parties’ submissions persuade the court that neither abstention nor certification is appropriate.”